3/31/2012

NBC gets caught editing Zimmerman's 911 call

NBC told this blog today that it would investigate its handling of a piece on the “Today” show that ham-handedly abridged the conversation between George Zimmerman and a dispatcher in the moments before the death of Trayvon Martin. A statement from NBC:

“We have launched an internal investigation into the editorial process surrounding this particular story.”

Great news right there. As exposed by Fox News and media watchdog site NewsBusters, the “Today” segment took this approach to a key part of the dispatcher call:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.

Here’s how the actual conversation went down:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black.

The difference between what “Today” put on its air and the actual tape? Complete: In the “Today” version, Zimmerman volunteered that this person “looks black,” a sequence of events that would more readily paint Zimmerman as a racial profiler. In reality’s version, Zimmerman simply answered a question about the race of the person whom he was reporting to the police.

Gas taxes by state

Drivers in California, Illinois, and New York aren't going to get much sympathy for high gas prices given the taxes that they place on gasoline. On top of that, you have to add additional local environmental regulations.

Obama continues ban on importing historical semi-automatic rifles

Washington has agreed to allow the importation of M1 Garand rifles from Seoul, reversing its earlier decision to ban the shipping of the weapon used by South Korean and U.S. soldiers during the 1950-53 Korean War, a senior defense official said Wednesday. “The U.S. government approved the imports of some 86,000 of the rifles,” said Lee Sun-chul, deputy defense minister for force and resources management.“The historic firearms are expected to be sold to American Korean War veterans and their families in time for the 62nd anniversary of the Korean War, which falls on June 25 this year.”Kim Mi-sung, an official of the force and resources management office, said the defense ministry received an approval letter from the United States on Sept. 2 last year that stated Washington agreed to allow the importation of the M1s.She noted that the U.S. government, however, rejected Seoul’s proposal to export some 600,000 M1 Carbines, which were also used in the Korean War, as they come with a magazine that can carry multiple rounds unlike the Garands. . . .

This looks to get worse before things improve. If it were me, I would immediately release Zimmerman's medical records, but I understand that Zimmerman's lawyer is more worried about the legal case than about the PR aspect of things. From the Orlando Sentinel:

If George Zimmerman is not arrested in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin soon, theRev. Al Sharpton will call for an escalation in peaceful civil disobedience and economic sanctions. . . .
The civil rights activist and syndicated television show host said he will elaborate on this plan Saturday.
"I will speak about how the National Action Network will move to the next level if Zimmerman isn't arrested," Sharpton said, who founded the organization. He added that it was the Martin family and lawyers who first asked him to get involved and nationalize this story.
The Rev. Jesse Jacksonis also expected to participate in the event. . . .
Sharpton said the recent revelations only underscores the need for an immediate arrest and trial.
"Whether he [Zimmerman] had a swollen or broken nose, neither one means he had to take a 9mm and kill someone," he said. "It's not about saying Zimmerman is innocent or guilty, this is about whether there was probable cause to arrest him." . . .

I won't quote from more of this article because I have pretty much given up hope of the media doing a good job on this story. Josh Sugarmann at the Violence Policy Center is on his hobby horse about counting virtually all defensive gun uses involving permitted concealed handguns as killings (his article is available here but please think before you click as there is little reason to add to his traffic totals). The Zimmerman case that hasn't been decided yet has been added to the total and just goes to show how nutty Sugarmann's totals are.

The tragic shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman has rightly generated tremendous outrage across the nation. Unfortunately, an untold number of additional families across America have experienced the same heartbreak as a result of concealed carry killers armed by state laws that allow people to carry loaded, concealed handguns in public.
Zimmerman is only one example of concealed handgun permit holders who have needlessly taken lives, destroyed families, and shaken communities. New data from theViolence Policy Center as part of its ongoing Concealed Carry Killers project shows that concealed carry killers have claimed at least 402 victims since May 2007 . . . .

I am extremely disappointed how many conservatives have added to this call. Some of these statements have been made during just the last few days. The amazing thing is that all these statements seem to have been made without actually even reading the police report.

3/30/2012

Keith Olbermann claims Al Gore is unethical

The anchor, who divided his time at Current between feuding with his bosses andtweetingpicturesof thesunset, responded to the network’s statement via Twitter, accusing Gore and Hyatt of not upholding their end of the bargain and vowing to sue. “In due course, the truth of the ethics of Mr. Gore and Mr. Hyatt will come out,” he wrote. . . .

According toMediaite, a source at Current TV said the formerCountdownhost went througheight different car services while working at the network, complaining that the drivers "smelled" and "talked to him." . . .

Presentation from my talk at the CEI

By two-to-one Americans oppose affirmative action for college admissions

The U.S. Supreme Court last week agreed to hear a case involving the use of race as a factor in college admissions. Most voters oppose the use of so-called affirmative action policies at colleges and universities and continue to believe those policies have not been successful despite being in place for 50 years.The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 24% of Likely U.S. Voters favor applying affirmative action policies to college admissions. Fifty-five percent (55%) oppose the use of such policies to determine who is admitted to colleges and universities. Twenty-one percent (21%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The Vote on Severability on Obamacare

My guess is that the vote on striking down the entire Obamacare bill could be 6 to 2 or even higher. If anything this is the one of the four decisions that could be great that 5 to 4. Why? Kagan and Sotomayer asked about whether the simplest rule for striking down an entire bill is whether the congress didn't include a sever ability clause. Then there is this discussion by Breyer and Scalia. The bill just seems to long to make figure out what to include or exclude to difficult for anyone to determine. From CNS news:

“Could I ask you one question, which is a practical question,” Breyer asked of Paul Clement, the lawyer representing the state of Florida in the case.
“I take as a given your answer to Justice Kennedy,’ said Breyer, “you are saying let's look at it objectively and say what Congress has intended, okay? This is the mandate in the community, this is Titles I and II, the mandate, the community, pre-existing condition, okay? Here's the rest of it, you know.
“And when I look through the rest of it, I have all kinds of stuff in there,” said Breyer. “And I haven't read every word of that, I promise.
“As you pointed out, there is biosimilarity, there is breast feeding, there is promoting nurses and doctors to serve underserved areas, there is the CLASS Act, etcetera,” said Breyer.
“What do you suggest we do?” said Breyer. “I mean, should we appoint a special master with an instruction? Should we go back to the district court? You haven't argued most of these. As I hear you now, you're pretty close to the SG [the Obama administration’s solicitor general]. I mean, you'd like it all struck down, but we are supposed to apply the objective test. I don't know if you differ very much.
“So what do you propose that we do other than spend a year reading all this and have you argument all this?” said Breyer.
Also on Wednesday, Justice Antonin Scalia jokingly invoked the Eighth Amendment—which prohibits cruel and unusual punishments—when discussing the “severability” issue with Deputy Solicitor General Ed Kneedler. Scalia’s remarks elicited laughter from the audience in the court chamber.
“Mr. Kneedler, what happened to the Eighth Amendment? You really want us to go through these 2,700 pages?” said Scalia.
“And do you really expect the Court to do that? Or do you expect us to give this function to our law clerks?” said Scalia.
“Is this not totally unrealistic? That we're going to go through this enormous bill item by item and decide each one?” he said. . . .

The statistics illustrate the stark divide on the court -- the four Democratic appointees, Justices Elena Kagan, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- all aimed their comments at Clement and Carvin by a heavy margin. Three of the five Republican appointees, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia, were equally one-sided, aiming the overwhelming majority of their comments at Verrilli.Kennedy was somewhat less skewed, but was far closer to the conservative side, with comments to Verrilli outnumbering those to Clement and Carvin by a 2-1 margin.The statistics also support another observation court watchers have made -- Breyer is by far the wordiest justice.

CNBC: Author Claims Obama's War On Jobs and Growth a ‘Debacle’

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG: John R. Lott, Jr. Co-author of"Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future."The recovery has been painfully slow, and Americans naturally look for the silver lining in new economic numbers. Yet, thirty-three months since the "recovery" officially started, and the unemployment rate still hasn’t fallen below 8.3 percent. Unfortunately, the recent “good news” on the drop in initial unemployment insurance claims and job number increases don’t mean what reporters think they mean. . . .

Zimmerman's medical records will finally close this case

I have been thinking this exact thought for a couple of days. With all the ruckus over the video of Zimmerman at the police station, these medical records will show whether Zimmerman's nose was broken and whether he had a cut on his head. From CNN:

George Zimmerman's brother said medical records will prove that his brother was attacked and his nose was broken by Trayvon Martin before he fatally shot the teen.Robert Zimmerman Jr. spoke to CNN's Piers Morgan Thursday night saying he wanted to correct some of the "mythology" and untruths that have been spread about the controversial shooting."We're confident the medical records are going to explain all of George's medical history," Zimmerman Jr. said. "His nose looks swollen in that video. I'm his brother."George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, said he shot Martin in self defense after the teen attacked him last month. Martin, who was walking through the gated community back to the house of his father's fiancee, was wearing a hoodie in the rain and carrying Skittles candy and a can of iced tea he had purchased from a nearby convenience store. . . .

The CNN piece makes mistakes about what the law is, but I am tired of correcting the misinformation in the media on this.

3/29/2012

Zimmerman video may indeed show gash on back of Zimmerman's head

Just something to keep in perspective. Zimmerman was treated by a paramedic at the scene and he was presumably cleaned up so that he could be treated. The police report clearly states that Zimmerman was bloody and battered, that he had a gash on the back of his head. There is a certain level of conspiracy involved here to have several police and a paramedic colluding on this statement. Zimmerman's lawyer also repeatedly mentions that Zimmerman's nose was broken.

Piece in Investors' Business Daily: Big Labor's Endorsement For Obama Is All About Repaying Favors

This month the AFL-CIO "enthusiastically" endorsed Obama's re-election bid. No surprise there. No previous president has created anywhere near as large wealth transfers to unions.
Obama's $825 billion stimulus package targeted union jobs. Then there was the $26 billion Public Sector Jobs Bill of 2010. And the Disaster Relief and the Summer Jobs Act of 2010 provided another $24 billion to specifically help teachers, police and firefighters.
The stimulus required Davis-Bacon "prevailing wages and benefits" rules for contracts receiving any stimulus money. These rules typically force companies to pay union wages. . . .

Same day concealed handgun permit renewals in Florida

Florida is speeding up the process for renewing concealed weapons permits to meet a growing demand from gun owners.Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam was on hand at his Fort Walton Beach office on Tuesday to announce the new process.It's one of eight regional offices across Florida where license holders can obtain same-day renewals. . . .To use the new service, license holders must call to schedule appointments and bring unsigned applications and checks or money orders to pay their fees. . . .

Democratic strategist James Carville said on CNN that the prospect of the healthcare law being overturned might be the best political outcome for Democrats and Obama. “I honestly believe — this is not spin — I think that this will be the best thing to ever happen to the Democratic Party, because healthcare costs will escalate unbelievably … the Republican Party will own the healthcare system for the foreseeable future.” Unbelievably cynical. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) made the same point almost immediately. . . .

Newest piece at National Review: It’s Not About Stand Your Ground: we should reserve judgment, but it seems that Zimmerman acted lawfully

President Obama, Jesse Jackson, and others have chosen to personalize the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., highlighting the racial issues by expressing concern for people who look like they do or live where “blacks are under attack.” Many conservatives and liberals have also already concluded that the shooter committed a crime. All of these reactions are premature.
In response to the shooting, Florida governor Rick Scott has set up a commission to review the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Gun-control organizations, including the Brady Campaign, have gone beyond this and even more drastically called for the end of right-to-carry laws.
But such outrage should be restrained until we have all of the facts. Zimmerman’s call to the police, which has been heard over and over again, does not appear to tell the whole story. There is other information that appears to back up the shooter’s account. That evidence, rather than racism, might well be the reason that police chose not to arrest the shooter. . . . .

3/27/2012

A father fatally shot a man in Pompano Beach after the man threatened his family, swinging a piece of wood at his wife and kids, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said. . . .“At this point, all indications so far point to this man defending his family and defending himself,” BSO spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright said.It happened shortly before 5:30 p.m. Sunday . . . . The wife and two children walked out the door when a stranger confronted them.The stranger swung a piece of wood at them, BSO said. It was two and three feet long and looked like it came from furniture. Then the father and his two brothers came home. “He sees this stranger going into his yard and he has this piece of wood in his hand and he’s swinging it toward his family,” Coleman-Wright said. “His wife and children were hysterically screaming.”Emiliano Arellano, 37, got out of the car with his handgun, which he was licensed to carry, . . . .Arellano and his two brothers tried to stop the man, BSO said. The wife and 3-year-old son managed to get in the car, but the 5-year-old daughter could not, Coleman-Wright said. Arellano said he was going to call the police.“And that’s when the guy lost it, became very agitated and made aggression toward [Arellano’s] daughter,” Coleman-Wright said.Arellano fired once, fatally hitting the man in the chest. . . . .

The D.C. Council will soon vote on a new law that would eliminate several obstacles for gun buyers -- a five-hour training course, ballistics testing, a vision test, and a ban on certain types of ammunition. But they will leave unchanged the registration requirement for gun owners. D.C. could learn a lot from Canada's decision to finally rescind its gun registry in February.Beginning in 1998, Canadians spent a whopping $2.7 billion on creating and running a registry for long guns -- in the U.S., the same amount per gun owner would come to $67 billion. For all that money, the registry was never credited with solving a single murder. Instead, it became an enormous waste of police officers' time, diverting their efforts from traditional policing activities. . . .

Jailed for 56 days for offensive comments? Unbelievably, yes.

The notion that the government can determine whether your speech is offensive and throw you in jail is scary. You can read articles from the BBC and other sources and not find what it was that this 21 year old man actually said. From the BBC:

A student who admitted posting racially offensive comments on Twitter about footballer Fabrice Muamba has been jailed for 56 days.
Swansea University student Liam Stacey, 21, from Pontypridd, admitted inciting racial hatred over remarks about the Bolton Wanderers player, who collapsed during a FA Cup tie at Tottenham.
A district judge in Swansea called the comments "vile and abhorrent".
Muamba, 23, who suffered a cardiac arrest, is still in intensive care.
Sentencing Stacey at Swansea Magistrates' Court, District Judge John Charles told him: "In my view, there is no alternative to an immediate prison sentence.
"It was not the football world who was praying for [Muamba].... everybody was praying for his life."
Stacey broke down in tears as he was led away to begin his jail term.
As he passed the public gallery, he was briefly embraced by friends and his parents.
A second year biology student at Swansea, Stacey was arrested after his comments on the social networking site were reported by other users. . . . .

"Dozens of lives were spared in the hostage situation in Colorado Springs Tuesday, partly because of one courageous surgeon" with a gun

Dozens of lives were spared in the hostage situation in Colorado Springs Tuesday, partly because of one courageous surgeon. He tells 11 News he was ready to do whatever it took to make sure everyone got out.
Doctor Jeff Ferguson didn't want it known that he's licensed to carry a concealed weapon, but Tuesday- he didn't have a choice. On the phone he told 11 News, from the sound of the gunman's voice, he felt like someone was going to get hurt."This (gunman), when you heard his voice, I was expecting any second to hear the shots ring out. I thought ok, this guy's going to start shooting people right now," Dr. Ferguson said.
Dr. Ferguson's inside story of what happened inside the building, 75 Printers Parkway. He says Dominic Oliver was yelling as he pulled out his gun in the reception area.
"(Oliver) said, ‘Everyone get on the ground’ and it was chaos after that as you can imagine," Dr. Ferguson said.
In the chaos, employees started shouting about another exit way, one Dr. Ferguson didn't want the gunman to know about. He guarded the exit with his gun, allowing everyone else to escape and ready to shoot if he had to.
"If this guy opens this door, I’m going to have to shoot him,” Dr. Ferguson said. “You were prepared to do that? I was absolutely prepared to shoot him, yes." . . .

Spike Lee tweets incorrect Zimmerman address

WIth a $10,000 bounty on Zimmerman, just how irresponsible was it for Spike Lee to tweet what he thought was Zimmerman's address? How bad is it that Lee gave out someone else's address? From the Daily Caller:

Filmmaker Spike Lee tweeted the wrong home address for George Zimmerman, the Sanford, Fla., man who many are claiming should be arrested for shooting and killing Trayvon Martin. The tweet could have potentially put the woman who actually lives at that address in danger. . . .

As Florida braced itself for what could be the biggest day of protest yet in the Trayvon Martin case, police revealed new details that depict the slain 17-year-old as the aggressor and appear to support George Zimmerman's claim that he was acting in self-defense when he shot the teenager. . . .

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that police sources say Martin was the aggressor on Feb. 26, knocking Zimmerman to the ground with a single punch and then climbing on top of the 28-year-old neighborhood watch captain and slamming the back of his head into the ground. Police say this account, given by Zimmerman, is supported by eyewitnesses, according to the Sentinel's report.

One such witness reportedly told police that he saw Martin on top of Zimmerman, striking the man, while Zimmerman cried out for help. The attack left Zimmerman bloodied, police sources told the Sentinel, and led him to fire at Martin in self-defense.

Police say Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose, had a fat lip and confirm that the back of his head was cut. He received first aid at the scene but refused to go to the hospital and received medical treatment the following day, according to the Sentinel's sources. . . .

There is an incredibly poorly written piece in the Orlando Sentinel available here.

As Dan Linehan, a blogger at Wagist.com, pointed out, correspondence with Martin on Twitter before he died alludes to an incident with a bus driver. "Yu ain't tell me you swung on a bus driver," Martin's cousin wrote to him on Feb. 21.
The same week, Martin was suspended for 10 days from Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in North Miami-Dade. "He was not suspended for something dealing with violence or anything like that," his father said. "It wasn't a crime he committed, but he was in an unauthorized area [on school property]," declining to offer more details.
But a family spokesman told the Associated Press on Monday that Martin was suspended because marijuana residue was found in his book bag. . . .

Housing prices continue to plummet

Washington DC is the one city that continues to consistently show increases in housing prices. From CNN Money:

The housing market started off the new year with a thud. Home prices dropped for the fifth consecutive month in January, reaching their lowest point since the end of 2002.The average home sold in that month lost 0.8% of its value, compared with a month earlier, and prices were down 3.8% from 12 months earlier, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index of 20 major markets.Home prices have fallen a whopping 34.4% from the peak set in July, 2006."Despite some positive economic signs, home prices continued to drop," said David Blitzer, spokesman for S&P. "Eight cities -- Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Las Vegas, New York, Portland, Seattle and Tampa -- made new lows." . . .

3/26/2012

NICS Checks by state by month 2011

The coming tax increase on dividends

Unless Congress takes action, the top tax rate for the highest earners on most dividends, currently 15%, is set to jump to a whopping 43.4% next year. That is a maximum income-tax rate of 39.6% -- since dividends will once again be taxed as regular income -- plus a 3.8% tax on investment income as part of the health-care overhaul passed in 2009. . . .

Why people should be concerned about Obama -- ‘After My Election I Have More Flexibility’

Obama's discussion with Medvedev might have being focusing on the missile defense in Europe and indicated that his current stance is for the American electorate, but I think that it applies much more broadly. The media however is giving him a pass on all this. From ABC News:

President Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space.President Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you…President Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.President Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir. . . .

3/25/2012

Major loss for the Australian Labor Party

With about 70 percent of the vote from Saturday's poll counted, the Liberal National Party (LNP), led by former Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, has won 78 of the state's 89 parliamentary seats while the Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh has seen its representation slashed from 51 to 7. Bligh accepted responsibility for the defeat and despite winning her own seat of South Brisbane, announced her resignation from politics.That triggers an immediate by-election, further threatening Labor's weak showing in the state. . . .

“Since Labor won the 2007 federal election, it’s lost power in the four most important states, significantly reducing its influence,” said Hughes. “Gillard may be starting to feel a bit lonely in Canberra as she doesn’t have many friends left in the states.” . . .

The NSW Coalition, which won more than half the primary vote, is poised to secure 67 seats in a 93-seat lower house, with Labor's numbers more than halved. The ALP is currently on 19, with three independents and four seats undecided. The two-party swing is estimated at 16.5 per cent, with a two-party preferred vote of 63.9 per cent for the Coalition to Labor's 36.1 per cent. . . .

In South Australia, with 73 percent of the vote counted so far, Labor suffered a 7.3 percent “swing” against it, compared with the last election in 2006. The Rann government is predicted to retain 25 of its 28 seats, with the Liberals winning 18, and independents 4. Liberal leader Isobel Redmond, however, is yet to concede defeat.If, as looks likely, Labor again forms government, it will do so having lost the two-party preferred vote. Labor won just 38 percent of tallied primary votes, the Liberals 41.4 percent, the Greens 7.8 percent (up 1.4 percent from 2006), and right-wing Christian outfit Family First 5.3 percent (down 0.6 percent).

Socialists who own Rolex watches

Only two men have preceded him in the highly dangerous mission. U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard made the dive in 1960, spending only 20 minutes at the bottom. Worse yet, they could hardly see anything after their rough landing kicked up sand from the sea floor.

But Cameron is planning a much longer stay. His 24-foot-long (7-meter-long) custom-built “vertical torpedo” is armed with enough oxygen and personal resources for a six-hour exploratory mission. The submarine is outfitted with so many lights and 3-D cameras that it’s been described as an underwater TV studio. And while Cameron might be alone at such unfathomable depths, he plans to share his experience with the masses by releasing a documentary. He’s also collecting rocks and soil samples to assist with scientific research. . . .

More on the big fish that got let go in the Fast and Furious scandal as well as other aspects of the scandal. From Fox News:

. . . Also this week, two damaging documents became public. One, a ATF ROI (Report of Investigation) from May 2010 shows that Manuel Celis-Acosta, ringleader of the illegal gun buyers, was stopped at a border checkpoint in Arizona with 74 rounds of ammunition, but ATF agents released him.On Thursday, Congressman Darrell Issa and Grassley released a list of ROI’s that show ATF agents had evidence Acosta was trafficking weapons and one of his buyers, Uriel Patino, was lying on federal forms, but neither was arrested.Late Friday, Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Ron Weich warned Issa, “We are deeply disturbed that the sensitive law enforcement information…has entered the public realm.”He said it is impeding the DOJ’s prosecution of current criminal cases arising from Fast and Furious.A Congressional spokesperson for Issa made no apologies, saying the documents being leaked to the committee “are precisely what the Justice Department is hiding and what congressional investigators are seeking – basic information about who knew what when about Fast and Furious.”